Newsgroups: rec.arts.int-fiction
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From: tr95005@sable.ox.ac.uk (Richard Forster)
Subject: Re: Suggesting a solution
Message-ID: <1994Oct25.125715.20071@inca.comlab.ox.ac.uk>
Organization: Oxford University Computing Service, 13 Banbury Rd, Oxford, UK
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References: <rbryanCxz5ns.IyG@netcom.com>
Date: Tue, 25 Oct 94 12:57:15 GMT
Lines: 25

The Essential Addition (rbryan@netcom.com) wrote:
: Now I'm considering adding an object called the Jones Anti-Puzzle 
: Device.  This device can be used at any time by the player, and when the 
: player pushes its one button, the device changes into some object which 
: makes a puzzle instantly solvable.  I don't want to give away any of my 
: puzzles at the moment, but let's say you were trying to figure out how to 
: get past the guard in Ditch Day Drifter.  It's a fairly simple puzzle to 
: solve, but if the player wanted to just move on in the story, he would 
: push the button on the device and suddenly be holding a "Sleepytime 
: Security Ray," which will trigger the guard to fall asleep, just as if 
: the puzzle had actually been solved.

: ...serve as a hint that you want the guard to fall asleep, so you could then 
: work towards solving it.

While I think the idea of an Anti-Puzzle device is _a good idea_, I don't
like the way using it would give a hint towards how the puzzle is supposed
to be solved.  Allowing puzzles to be bypassed makes the game more accesible
to new players, and allows more of the game to be seen by all.  Giving extra
hints towards the puzzles takes that feeling of satisfaction when you do
solve it.

Richard


